


In the Shadow of the Moon

by Tsumeinuzuka



Category: Naruto
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Mysterious rogue werewolves, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, OCs - Freeform, Slow Burn, Werewolf AU, at least not in the way that is popular, not a/b/o, title may change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:35:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26035027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsumeinuzuka/pseuds/Tsumeinuzuka
Summary: Werewolf-AU.Towns are being attacked by beasts, and Tsunade sends Sakura out to gather information. Things don't go as planned, and Sakura is thrown into a new world.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi
Comments: 47
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter one

Sakura rotated her wrists and stretched her arms as she made her way to the Hokage's office. A small blackbird had caught her attention early that morning as she was enjoying her rare day off by sitting in the lone chair on her small apartment patio, drinking tea and wishing she had any idea about what to do that day. 

The summons wasn't a surprise— Sakura had noticed an uptick of incoming civilian patients who had traveled from towns outside of their village, all bearing marks of being torn apart by wild animals. Sakura had tried her best to save them, pushing herself to the limit to scour for any type of damage that she could've missed— any hint of hidden jutsu, any unknown poison coursing through their bodies, _anything—_ but, despite her best efforts, they had all died within two days of being completely healed from all physical damage. Sakura was frustrated, to say the least, and she hoped Tsunade would finally send her to investigate the towns that had been attacked.

Releasing the breath she had been holding, Sakura knocked on the door to the Hokage's office, opening it and entering after hearing her mentor telling her to come in. She surveyed the office, finding two jonin she had never officially met, but had seen at various celebrations over the years for her and her friends reaching jonin. Closing the door, she stood in front of the wide desk, observing the mess of files and scrolls spread about, before her gaze landed on Tsunade. Dark half moons stood out on the skin just under her eyes, leading Sakura to believe that her Hokage had lost just as much sleep as she had over these mysterious attacks. Her chin was propped on one hand, red polish chipping at the ends of her nails. 

"Small towns to the north of us are being attacked," Tsunade said, getting directly to the issue at hand. "Civilians are being killed. The only information we have is from the people who have been able to travel here, but all they have been able to tell us is that beasts have overrun their town." Tsunade passed a hand across her eyes, leading it up into her blonde hair. Sakura shifted her weight from foot to foot, before clearing her throat.

"Are you sending us out to gather information on the attacks, or are you sending us out to stop them?" Sakura questioned, her eyes fixed on the face in front of her, ignoring the flickering gazes of the two Shinobi beside her, presumably surprised that she would ask questions before the brief was over. 

The blonde tapped a finger on the scroll in front of her, obviously in thought. "This is an information gathering mission only. I don't want you to engage with any enemies if you can help it. You're to travel to this town," here she threw a map to the man beside her, designating him to be team leader. Sakura and the woman beside her gave a quick glance to the marked area showing their destination before returning their attention to their Hokage, who continued, "the town leader, Nakao Susumu, is expecting you. You are to question and survey the area. I want you back here as quickly as possible. It's a full day's travel to get there, so I want you back within four days, no later. You leave as soon as you pack, introduce yourselves on the way." With the obvious dismissal, all three ninja gave short bows and turned to leave.

"Haruno, stay behind," Tsunade commanded. Sakura faced her mentor, waiting for the door to close behind the two shinobi and for their footsteps to recede.

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou?" 

The woman looked at Sakura for a long time, giving Sakura time to start worrying about the mission. Did she believe that Sakura wouldn't have the skills needed for reconnaissance? Sure, Sakura favored overwhelming the enemy and kicking ass before asking questions, but Tsunade knew that Sakura would do what was right. Right? Sakura tilted her head, frowning back at the woman.

"Is there an issue, Tsunade-shishou?" Tsunade seemed to come back to her senses, found the right words, and shook her head. 

"There's no issue, per say. I am sending you on this mission because you have qualities I believe are perfect in this particular instance," and perhaps Tunade guessed where Sakura's mind had gone, because as Sakura visibly relaxed, her mentor gave a brief smile. "You know how to take care of yourself and your teammates. You're whip smart and as tough as any shinobi out there," the Hokage paused. Sakura could see her visibly swallow, her gaze casting down as if wondering what she should say next. 

"What's the issue, then?" Sakura calmly asked, wondering if Tsunade wasn't telling her something about the mission.

"You are also led by your heart in doing what is right. It is certainly not a bad quality, but I only mention it because I don't want you healing anyone you encounter on the road." 

Sakura's jaw went slack from surprise, anger and hurt overtaking the pride she felt from Tsunade's previous compliments. That order went against everything she had been taught, and everything she believed in. How could she leave injured people alone and do nothing to help them? Before she could voice her complaint, Tsunade held up a hand. 

"I cannot tell you my reasoning behind this request, but know that it comes from experience. I have a hunch about these attacks, and if I'm right, I would like you to proceed with caution rather than make a grave mistake." Tsunade looked at her a moment, her face softening. Sakura's anger deflated for the moment, and she nodded her agreement, her hands behind her back. The Hokage dismissed her, and Sakura bowed before making her way back home to pack for her travel. 

The walk to her apartment was short, with no glimpse of anyone she knew on the streets. Most of her friends were currently away on missions. For the past couple of months, it seemed that everyone's schedule clashed with one another, with her being away while others were at the village or vice versa. Usually, all of Rookie 9 and Gai's team would make time for dinner every other week, either getting together at a restaurant or bar, or choosing someone's house to meet up at and have a potluck. This week, they were supposed to meet up at a local bar, but Sakura would have to miss it again. 

Finally reaching her door, she unlocked it and quickly gathered the supplies she needed, making sure to pack extra food, water and clothes. Once her backpack was finished, she gathered one of her mission outfits from her closet—she had taken to wearing the standard jonin outfit and vest, but forwent the long-sleeved shirt for one with shorter sleeves, so as not to overheat in the Konoha temperatures. Stocking kunai and razor wire into the pockets on her vest, Sakura did one last check before leaving for the gates where she would meet her teammates.

She was the last to arrive, and once she stood in the group, the man nodded, gesturing to everyone. 

"We can go ahead and get introductions out of the way. I'm Matsuyama Kazuo." Sakura took in Kazuo's medium build, short brown hair, and dark eyes. He wore a longsword at his side, and his scarred hands looked like they could easily wield it. When he said nothing else, Sakura turned to look up at the tall woman and eyed the small vials that lined her flak jacket—no doubt about them marking her as a poison user. The girl swept her long, green hair over her shoulder.

"Nishikawa Midori," was all she said, her voice gruff and strained sounding. Sakura followed their lead of only giving her name, before looking to their team leader. Kazuo pulled the map out, tilting it in his hands so both Midori and Sakura could see the path he was pointing to. 

"It's a pretty straightforward road to get to where we need to be. A day's walk, so we should get there within a half day if we push it. We'll search the forest surrounding the area before making contact with Nakao Susumu. I'll take point, Haruno will take middle, Nishikawa will stay at the back. As Tsunade-sama said, do not engage unless need be." And with that, they were off, speeding down the path and through the forests of Konoha. Sakura adjusted the chakra levels pushing through her legs to keep pace behind Matsuyama, her mind drifting to recheck that she had packed everything. 

Traveling in this manner was Sakura's least favorite part of missions. Usually, if she was on a team with Ino or any of her other friends, there would be chances to talk to each other—instead of this encompassing silence, save for the sounds of their footfalls on tree branches or their breathing. 

By the time the sun was beginning to set, Matsuyama came to a sudden halt, stopping the other two members of his team. Sakura guzzled water from her canteen, sweat starting to bead down her neck. Nishikawa didn't seem to fare any better, sharing a quick glance at Sakura's direction before putting her hands on her knees to catch her breath. 

"We're going to circle the perimeter. Meet back here within thirty minutes," Matsuyama nodded to them and they went in different directions. Sakura's eyes were peeled for any sign of disturbance or hideout that enemies could be using. She was getting used to her team captain's short way of speaking. Her thoughts wondered to a previous team captain who was a braggart and only wanted to talk about how he had once bested three teams of enemy shinobi before backup could show up. She rolled her eyes. Anyone would've been a better captain than that guy was. 

_You're missing something._

Sakura stopped, sending a light flow of chakra out to sense the area around her. Finding no trace of chakra other than her own and what little the woodland creatures had, she looked around, trying to find what her subconscious was warning her of. 

"There's nothing here," Sakura murmured to herself. 

_Look again!_ Her subconscious urged her. Sakura looked down, but there was nothing except shrubbery and all the normal flora of this region. _Except…_

Bending down, Sakura took a closer look at one of the vines growing in between the roots of a tree. She put her gloves on and followed the thin stem to where it curled around itself, before taking a kunai and cutting a long chunk off, being careful with the silvery leaves, and placing it in a bag before storing it within a small compartment in her hip pouch. There was something familiar about that vine, but there wouldn't be time to study it until she returned to Konoha. 

As she stood, brushing dirt from her knees, leaves from behind her rustled, sending her into a defensive stance until she could identify what had made the noise. A brown tail disappeared behind the trees, in the direction opposite her. Sakura kept her stance for a few more moments, tracking the noise before relaxing her grip on her kunai and heading back in the direction she was supposed to meet her team.

Similar to their meeting before leaving, Sakura was the last to arrive.

"I didn't find any unusual tracks or evidence of a group of people hiding in this forest," Sakura began, knowing that the others wouldn't have much to say. "I did, however, find this plant," she briefly let them see the curled vine before putting it back in her pouch, "which I will be bringing to Tsunade-shishou when we return." Sakura didn't miss the way the two shinobi straightened slightly when she showed them the vine, but put the question of why her teammates seemed to know the plant into the back of her mind. Tsunade seemed to have sent these specific two out here for a reason, and Sakura wondered if it could be related to their earlier conversation. 

"I've already gotten into contact with Susumu-san. He is going to let us stay at his house tonight, and tomorrow we will visit the injured and find out what we can," Matsuyama gestured for them to follow, and they were soon greeted by a stooped old man. 

"Welcome to our quaint town," the old man said feebly, his glasses wobbling on the end of his nose. "I am Nakao Susuma, the village elder here. I am glad you have arrived safely, although I wish your visitation was for much different and much better circumstances." He had met them at a small road at the beginning of the town. As he gestured for them to follow him, Sakura looked around. Even though it was nighttime already, the town was eerily silent. Curtains were closed on every window they passed, letting no light shine through.

"These attacks started a few weeks ago. In the beginning, people would go missing every few days. It was usually people who had to travel through the forest, or woodworkers who had to collect trees; however, it escalated to people being snatched right off our streets!" Susuma shook his head, a grimace on his face and anger in his voice. "I have never seen anything like it! Beasts, attacking people in broad daylight!" 

They turned a corner as they listened to the elder, matching his pace. Matsuyama hummed, keeping a lookout around them. 

"It has been beasts attacking you? Not people?" Matsuyama asked. 

"Wolves, more like it. I ain't never seen the types of these kind before. We've had issues with regular wolves getting into our chicken pens, but these. . .these monsters?" Susumu made a hacking noise of disapproval. "They're huge, and their eyes show an intelligence that I've never seen in an animal."

They stopped in front of a small house in the middle of town. The elder led them up the steps, and into a small room that was bare of anything except a closet and small desk pushed in a corner. They thanked Susumu for his hospitality, before they each laid down their sleeping bags on the tatami mats. 

"I can take first watch," Nishikawa gruffly said, braiding her hair into one thick strand before opening the window and jumping to the roof. Sakura agreed to take second watch, and finally laid down to sleep, her dreams filled with anxiety from the day, and that tail that she had spotted going away from her earlier. 

All too soon, Sakura was awoken from her sleep, a kunai poised and ready as Nishikawa shook her sleeping teammates awake.

"The town's being attacked. A fire has been set on the eastern end,"Nishikawa ignored the weapons that had been pointed at her and collected her bag. Sakura followed suit, awaiting orders from their leader, her heart pounding in her throat.

"I will escort Susumu-san to a safer area, you two help evacuate civilians away from the fire. Keep a lookout for aggressors, do not engage—run if you have to." And with that, they sped off, the protests of Susumu not leaving his people behind them. 

Sakura could see the red and orange flames on the other side of the small town, each tendril flicking over connecting roofs and getting closer to engulfing the entire town with each passing second. Screams came from her left, and a woman came barreling out of her doorway, eyes wide and grip strong on Nishikawa's wrist. 

"Please! Please, they took my daughter! My husband went after them, but hasn't come back, you have to help us!" The woman had soot across her face and ashes were starting to dust her hair. Sakura looked between the two, wanting to help this woman with all of her might. Nishikawa took the woman's hand and gently started leading her away from the burning town. 

"Our orders are to evacuate the civilians, not search out enemies," Nishikawa rasped. The woman sobbed, her knees buckling as she vigorously shook her head no, pleading with them to help. Her eyes found Sakura's, and her grip transferred to Sakura's forearm. 

"No, no, no, please!" 

Sakura swallowed heavily, her throat already dry from the smoke in the air. She had already made up her mind on what she was going to do, but she didn't know how to get past the taller woman. Nishikawa was staring at Sakura, as if she already knew what she was planning. Before Sakura could move, Nishikawa looked to the side.

"I suppose we could split our efforts in evacuating," she said as she pulled the civilian to her feet. "I wouldn't know what you were doing."

Sakura nodded, feeling an understanding pass between her and her teammate, before asking the woman which direction her husband had run off to and heading that way. The smoke created a thin sheen in the air that was just enough to make Sakura second-guess on what could be in front of her. Trees sped past as she ran into the forest, finding a trail of broken branches and uneven bushes to follow. She slowed as a man came into view, writhing on the ground, a deep wound in his abdomen leaking blood around him. His groaning filled the air as Sakura dropped down beside him, her hands coming together to send chakra in to probe his wound.

"Which way did they take your daughter?" She asked. His hand came up, grasping at her arm and leaving glittering fingerprints in its wake. His other hand was on his chest, covered in blood. As soon as she realized that his wound was self-inflicted, the man wasn't a man anymore. 

  
  
  


He was a wolf.

And his fangs were tearing into her shoulder.

_What did Tsunade tell you!_ Her subconscious raged, her fist flying forward, sending a chakra-laden punch into the snout of the wolf. A satisfying crunch filled the air as the wolf let go, nose broken and panting through its open mouth. Sakura fell back, putting a healing hand to her shoulder, mending the wound until it was just closed. 

The light of the full moon was shadowed by smoke from the burning town, but Sakura could still make out that this wolf was larger than normal. The wolf threw back its head, a stuffy howl erupting from its bloodied jaws. More howls echoed around them, making Sakura turn just in time to dodge massive claws scraping the air where her head had been. A second wolf had arrived, and while it wasn't as big as the first, it was just a grizzly looking. 

"This has to be some sort of weird transformation ninjutsu…" Sakura muttered to herself, backing up in the direction she came from, keeping her arms up and watching for an opening to escape to her teammates. It came a second later, as the two wolves leapt towards her, the new one going for her throat while the other went for her legs. Sakura channeled chakra to her fists again, grabbing the wolf that was higher up and smashing it into the first wolf, sending them tumbling backwards into a heap of gnashing jaws. 

Sakura took that moment of impact to dart back to the burning town, sensing only one of her teammates. As she got closer, Sakura could hear terrified screams mixing with the sounds of growling and laughter, the smell of charred flesh nearly making her gag. She altered her course, heading in the direction where she recognized Nishikawa's chakra emanating from. 

The scene she arrived on could be described as nothing more than a savage beat down. Nishikawa was outnumbered, four wolves circling her, nipping at her heels when she tried to move, drawing blood and causing her to stumble back as kunai were launched at her. Half of her face was burned, her right eye shut and weeping. Her green hair was singed, now ending at her ears where it looked like it had caught fire and been hurriedly cut. Two men laid on the ground, not moving, while three others turned in Sakura's direction as she threw herself in front of her teammate. 

"Where's Matsuyama-san?" Sakura asked, ignoring the jeering of the men around them. She slashed at a wolf that had gotten too close, only feeling the tip of her weapon hit skin through the thick fur before it had dodged back to its circling. 

"Dragged. . .they—away," Nishikawa's normally rough voice was hoarse, some words in her sentence nothing but wisps of air. Her back was now to Sakura, letting her see that the back of her legs were torn and bleeding, and Sakura could see that Nishikawa was keeping her weight off of her right leg, stumbling slightly every time she had to turn. 

"Do you have any poisons that can take them all out?" Sakura wasn't worried at this point about being hit with any poison that the poison user could produce—she had long ago built up a tolerance to most poisons with the help of Shizune. 

"Won't work. . . on them, unlike—" she gestured to the two dead men on the ground, before continuing, "only. . . slow them." Sakura monitored her chakra reserves, beginning to make a plan to get them away. The men and wolves were growing bolder the longer they stood here, inching closer to the two women. Sakura lashed out at a man in front of her, halting his sword's downward arc and aiming a punch carefully to his solar plexus, sending him careening back. In the absence of Sakura behind Nishikawa, a wolf took her place, chomping down on her left leg, sending her screaming to the ground. Sakura watched in horror as the wolves took their chance at that split second, ripping into the tall woman. 

A sword slashed straight through Sakura's thigh in the distraction. Sakura instantly sent chakra to the wound, ripping the sword out and skewering the man who was wielding it. 

_Kill them all!_ Her subconscious demanded, and Sakura agreed, sending a roundhouse kick to the next—bandit? Shinobi outlaw? Sakura put her questions of who these people were to the back of her mind, hearing a resounding ' _crack'_ as her foot met ribs. The man stayed down, his breathing sounding whistle-like. The last man turned and ran, and Sakura turned, sword still in hand, as she slashed the closest wolf, overextending herself slightly in calculation of their thick fur this time. It lunged forward, jaws open in preparation of tearing flesh, but Sakura twirled the sword, stabbing down and through the nose and mandible of the wolf. As it dropped, Sakura saw a flash of Nishikawa's arms around the throat of one of the wolves, squeezing until it stopped moving. 

The remaining wolf turned tail and ran, leaving Sakura to quickly bend down, finally able to check Nishikawa's wounds. The woman was in severe shape—the flesh of her right arm was shredded, her face was blistered, and blood seemed to be trickling from every inch of skin. Sakura spread out her chakra to sense the area around her, before sending chakra throughout the woman, working as quickly as she could to stop the bleeding and close off the worst of the wounds. God, she thought, if this is how Nishikawa ended up with Sakura _right_ _there_ , she was terrified to think of how Matsuyama was faring.

And just as she was working on closing a jagged tear on her shoulder, Nishikawa stiffened, but not in time to warn Sakura.

A lithe white wolf, its jaws open and tongue lolling out in mock playfulness, sped under and through the gap between her legs, before rolling quicker than she could register, sending its fangs into her stomach and ripping, darting off before Sakura could register what had happened. 

_Heal, heal, heal, heal,_ the voice in her head pleaded. Sakura was in shock, only able to slowly look up at the white wolf, now standing at the edge of the trees, tail wagging and mouth still open in that canine grin. It tapped its paws on the ground in a dance, before darting off in the direction where Sakura could hear howling approaching.

_I get it, it snuck up on you somehow, but get your fucking head on straight!_

Sakura grasped a hand over the tattered cloth of her vest, the warmth of her blood burning her cold hands. Her other hand shakily opened the zipper on her hip pouch, pulling a wrap of bandages out before beginning to wrap them around herself, her eyesight beginning to tunnel and her ears starting to ring. 

"I know, I know, I can't pass out here," Sakura whispered to no one, Nishikawa already unresponsive but still breathing. Sakura sent a small trickle of chakra to her stomach, using the rest to pick up her teammate as gently as possible and head in a direction away from the noise of the beasts and men. The smoke, blood loss, and obscured light from the moon making the trek through the forest hard. She stumbled over rocks and tree roots multiple times, jolting her wound and causing her vision to black out. The only thing keeping her going was the need to get her teammate to safety. 

It felt like Sakura had stumbled along for miles. Smoke no longer obscured her vision, and the moon gave some light to the ground at her feet. She had lost the sound of the civilians and wolves an hour ago, and she was starting to stumble without anything causing it. Looking around, Sakura tried to find a place to hide themselves, but there was nothing but trees and bushes. Deciding on the best option, she found a tree that seemed to have the thickest branches, and recalled the first lesson of chakra control that she had been taught. Bringing chakra to her feet. Sakura stepped forward and walked up the tree, straining against gravity and the weight of Nishikawa. Her wound gushed back open, making Sakura gasp in pain. 

Once Sakura had climbed as far up the tree as she dared, she situated Nishikawa between her legs, balancing them both on the swaying branch, before reaching into the vest pocket that hadn't been torn in the attack, fumbling with the wire that she had placed there, and wrapping it around the both of them.

_You better hope you two don't slide off and get cut in half._

Sakura ignored that thought, swiping her hand across her stomach for the flowing blood, and made the seals to summon Katsuyu. The small slug came into existence with a small ' _pop_ ', her antennae wiggling in shock. 

"Sakura!" The slug exclaimed, but stopped as she raised her hand. 

"Contact Tsunade, tell her of our location. The town was attacked—wolves and men worked together. Matsuyama-san was taken. I have enough chakra to stop the bleeding until backup can be sent. Go!" And with that, the slug disappeared, leaving Sakura to slowly drift into unconsciousness. 

_Wake up!_

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. Dim light was shining through the leaves around her. She looked around, her head barely moving in fear of throwing both of them off of the branch. Leaves were slowly rustling near her tree, but it was hard for Sakura to see what was making the noise—the pounding in her head caused her vision to blackout every few seconds. 

Suddenly, something stepped into her line of sight, stopping just below her tree. A small brown wolf was looking up at her, its mouth open as if to catch a scent.

_It's getting your scent, idiot,_ her subconscious raged, trying to force itself to the front of her mind. Sakura's eyes began to droop, unable to stay open any longer. 

The last thing she saw was the wolf bracing its front paws against her tree.


	2. Chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its the weekend, and I really enjoyed writing the first chapter, so I hurried and wrote this one. Enjoy!

_Fear and anger washed over her. Her vision was blurry, her head was spinning, and her body felt heavy. Nishikawa was lying on the ground across from her. She looked pale. Panic crept up her throat, making her nauseated. She brought herself slowly onto her four limbs, and crawled forward, situating herself in front of her teammate, protecting her until she could make out their surroundings._

_A twig snapped from behind her, and the speed at which she turned to face the enemy made her stumble. Her heavy head wouldn't cooperate. She could only see shoes slowly coming into her vision. A palm came into her sight, reaching forwards. Sakura couldn't move from her spot low on the ground. The only thing she could do was snap at the offending hand. It stopped its approach, and Sakura could hear soft murmurs. Her eyes were getting heavy, and the hand came forward again. It slowly settled on her head, and Sakura waited until it was fully situated in her hair before turning and biting, unable to bring her forearms up to grab or scratch. The movement made her dizzy, and her jaw didn't want to work, so it was more of a nip. Her vision blacked out. She didn't know if the laughter that followed was from the person in front of her, or from inside her own head._

_Don't bite friends, you don't have many left, her own voice echoed from inside her head._

* * *

  
  


Bright light is what Sakura awoke to. And loud beeping, and heavy smells of—cleaners, flowers, and sake. She must be in the hospital. Footsteps echoed loudly in her head, and Sakura squinted into the emotional eyes of her mentor. Sakura shifted gently up her pillow, expecting leftover soreness as she remembered her stomach wound, but no pain registered. Tsunade did nothing but stare. Her silent gaze made Sakura nervous.

"I think I bit the retrieval team," Sakura voiced her worry in the long silence. She could see that the older woman was fighting about what to say first—no doubt something about the mission. 

Tsunade pulled a chair over to Sakura, and as she sat, she looked between Sakura's eyes. Tsunade laid a hand on one of Sakura's own, making her startle. Tsunade took in a deep breath, seemingly finding the words she wanted to say.

"Nishikawa already briefed me on the overall details. I want to hear from you what happened. After you finish, I have information I should've entrusted to you a long time ago," Tsunade slowly finished her thought, and Sakura could see her compose herself slightly. 

"Well," Sakura began, "beasts are definitely attacking civilians." Sakura began with them departing on their mission, trying to remember each detail as she spoke. As she got to the part where she took off to find the civilian woman's daughter, Sakura bowed her head. 

"I'm sorry for not following your orders, shishou. None of this would have happened if I had just followed the task at hand." 

Tsunade's hand tightened around hers, making Sakura meet her eyes. 

"No. I am the one at fault for this, Sakura. I should have told you about what I had expected was happening." Tsunade withdrew her hand, using it to push stray tendrils of hair from her face. What I am about to tell you is strictly confidential," Tsunade sent her a pointed look, and Sakura took a moment before nodding her head. Tsunade drew in a deep breath, averting her eyes to watch a bird hopping outside the window. 

"I think you noticed that the wolves that attacked the town weren't normal wolves."

Sakura nodded, before revealing what had happened when she thought that she had stumbled upon the husband. "You were right when you told me not to heal anyone. In the moment, I completely let my guard down to heal a man who had a deep abdominal wound. By the time I realized he had injured himself, he had transformed into a wolf." Tsunade's eyebrows rose, shock on her face. 

"What do you mean he transformed in front of you? It was instant?" 

"Yes, shishou." 

"Nishikawa didn't mention that. Things are worse than I feared, then. Those people were werewolves, Sakura. And I'm sorry to say that you were infected last night as well." Tsunade waited for Sakura to process what she had just said. Sakura could feel her jaw fall open, but she couldn't find the words to satisfy the questions running through her head. 

"I'm going to be direct about this information. People become werewolves after receiving injuries so severe that they are on the brink of death. They will then go through a process called the Change, where their bodies are forced to transform. It is a painful process, and only a small percentage of people survive their first transformation because of their previous injuries." 

Sakura interrupted, her mind processing that information and clicking thoughts into place. "That's why all those civilians died even though I healed them, isn't it?"

Tsunade nodded. "Even when we heal a person who has been infected, they don't always have the ability or tenacity to pull through. Sometimes, even if they do survive the first change, their minds don't. Becoming a wolf can elevate strong emotions, and some people start to act on only their instincts, instead of thinking." 

Sakura thought that through. "And are you. . . Were you infected?" 

"When I was younger, yes. People assume that I use ninjutsu to look younger, but the truth is that after someone is infected, they don't age. I actually have to appear older than how I actually look." Tsunade was smiling in a conspiratorial manner. Sakura took in what that meant. 

"Werewolves can live forever?" Sakura asked. The possibility was terrifying. She thought of people she has had to fight, and shuddered to think of the terror that would have been wrought if they would always be around. Tsunade saw her shudder, and her smile dimmed slightly. 

"Perhaps. But, do you think any shinobi in our line of work would be able to escape death all the time? There's always a mistake made that becomes someone's downfall." Tsunade said. Sakura could understand that. Her mind wandered back to a previous question she had had. 

"How do you know that I've actually been infected? The wound I suffered wasn't even close to the worst injury I've ever had." Sakura had nearly lost body parts, ingested poison for fun, and had nearly died multiple times over. That stomach wound seemed measly in comparison.

Tsunade's face brightened. "The man who rescued you had to help you through your first Change. He said you put up a fight." Sakura grimaced. Her memories of the lower portion of a man came back to the forefront of her mind. She hoped she hadn't harmed him in a way she couldn't remember. 

"You can apologize to him now if you'd like," Tsunade said, only giving Sakura a second to process what she had said before the door opened and in walked the last person she had expected. 

Hatake Kakashi was at the door, his left arm raised in greeting, a bandage wrapped snugly around his forearm. His eyes were crinkled in his signature grin as he spotted Sakura lounging on the hospital bed. 

"It's been awhile. Hi, Sakura-chan," Kakashi greeted her. Sakura felt a range of emotions boil through her. 

Four years ago, Sasuke had been found, his body returned to the village on a horse-drawn wagon. His death had been sudden, and it had hit everyone hard. Naruto had been broken, unsure about what to do with his life after he had spent all of his years searching for his friend, becoming stronger in order to prove that Sasuke didn't have to stay on his path of destruction to achieve his goals. 

Sakura had never felt more heartbroken than she had at her friend's untimely demise. When she was told the news, she couldn't muster the strength to go see him; instead, she had walked to the old training ground they had used when they were genin, and sat by the edge of the pond. She could only stare at her reflection, tiny fish bobbing up, sending ripples across her features. Ino had found her later that evening, and she had sat beside Sakura and said nothing, the warm palm in her hand giving Sakura all the courage to finally cry over Sasuke's short life. 

Naruto had thrown himself into training and missions, and had started being less gentle with his life—he would throw himself into danger more than before, not caring how hurt he would get, because he couldn't feel anything over the hurt in his heart from his lost love. Naruto had eventually broken down one night, during one of their dinner outings with the rest of their friends. He had started crying over a bowl of noodles, and Sakura was the first to notice. She had quickly led them out, saying quick goodbyes to their friends, and brought him to his house. He had confessed his love of Sasuke, and they had both cried together, ridding themselves of the heavy sadness that had weighed heavy on their shoulders. 

Kakashi, however, had become distant during that time. Like Naruto, he had also started accepting any mission that came his way, and had dodged his chance to help keep what was left of his team together, sending all of the responsibility to Sakura and Naruto. 

In the tense silence of the room during which Sakura sorted her feelings—anger, confusion, _sadness—_ Tsunade had cleared her throat while looking between the two of them. 

"Whatever tension is going on here has to be dropped," Tsunade ordered. "New wolves have to be monitored for a short amount of time after they're infected in order to make sure they don't go on a rampage, and to help them integrate into the pack. Matsuyama was usually my go to for training but," Tsunade paused, glancing at Sakura, "since he isn't here, Hatake will be your mentor. He will answer your questions, keep you in check, and basically teach you how to be the best you that you can be," Tsunade deadpanned. She turned her attention to the man beside her. 

"This is an order, Kakashi. You will have to stay with Sakura for the next week. I don't want anything to happen to my protégé. At the end of the week, I will see how she is doing, and I will decide on whether or not she is ready to be accepted into the pack. Once she is, I am sending you two on a mission together." Kakashi had become completely still during the blonde's speech, obviously not aware of how the Hokage had wanted him to keep an eye on her. Sakura also wanted to disagree, but kept her mouth shut. If she was going to be thrown into this world, she wanted all the information she could gather about her new identity. She wanted to take control of her new life, and she wanted—she wanted. . . 

_You want to kill the people who hurt your teammates, and who killed all of those innocent people._ Sakura had to agree with herself. Her gut was heavy with worry and rage, at the rogue werewolves, and at herself. If she had obeyed orders, she could have been able to help both Matsuyama and Nishikawa. A low noise reverberated throughout her head, and vibrated through her chest, but she paid no mind of it, her thoughts running through how to go about her new resolution.

_The only way to find those people is to take control of yourself._

Shaking herself back to her senses, she was surprised to see the other two people in the room staring at her curiously. 

"Uh," Sakura said intelligently, "I missed what you said." 

"I said you're going to be released from the hospital tomorrow morning. Hatake will be escorting you back to your apartment, and he can begin teaching you as soon as he gets situated. You two will be able to train together— it'll be just like old times!" Tsunade grinned, patting Kakashi's shoulder on her way out the door. Kakashi stood awkwardly in the doorway before giving a quick bow and leaving. 

Sakura thought back to the way she was trained in her genin days. 

_It better not be just like old times,_ her subconscious reluctantly thought. _You actually need to learn something this time._ Sakura shifted down on the bed, the thin blanket making her skin itch. Getting some rest would be in her best interest before her big day tomorrow. 

As she drifted off, Sakura remembered the silver-leafed vine coiled tightly in her hip pouch, and told herself that she would tell Tsunade about it in the morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still trying to write chapters that immerse everyone into the world I'm creating before I try to start getting into the plot. The next chapter will have more questions and answers, and more time between our two main characters :) I'm trying to understand how exactly I want to write everyones personalities and mannerisms. Writing a believable fight scene in the first chapter where Sakura suffered a wound that would both be almost certain death for others, and just bad enough for the infection to take place was hard, because i feel like sakura is just a well rounded fighter and healer lol. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented so far, and for all of the kudos and bookmarks! 
> 
> Tell me what you think of this chapter, and where you'd like to see this story going!


	3. Chapter three

A light tap on the door made Sakura leave her slumber. Morning light was barely coming through the hospital blinds, tinting everything with a pale blue hue. The tap came again, and Sakura could hear the shuffling of shoes outside her door as she sat up on her bed. 

"Come in."

The thick door opened, showing an absolutely unexpected, and also completely expected, person shuffling his way inside. Hatake Kakashi had arrived for her at an early time. 

Kakashi shut the door behind him, but didn't step any further into her room than the single step he took to be graced into her presence. He cleared his throat, and Sakura realized she was staring. Tension flowed back into the room, mainly coming from Sakura. 

"I'm here to escort you back home. The nurses are ready to discharge you once you gather your clothes. I'll be waiting outside the door, Sakura." Kakashi gave a small wave, before taking that one step back out into the busy hallway, shutting the door behind him. 

Sakura huffed, pushing her legs over the side of the bed. Someone must have brought her a spare change of clothing, because there was a jonin uniform folded neatly on the tiny desk beside her bed. She quickly took off the scratchy gown the hospital had dressed her in, and pulled the uniform on, shoving the long sleeves up her arms. Her thoughts turned to the man outside, and how he was going to basically be her babysitter for the next week. Sakura wished that Tsunade had appointed anyone else to watch over her; however, Sakura also wondered if there even  _ was  _ anyone else who could take Kakashi's place. Tsunade had mentioned a  _ pack _ during their conversation yesterday, but Sakura couldn't be sure of how many people were a part of that. 

Putting her shoes on, Sakura ventured out into the hallway. Kakashi was leaning against the wall beside the door, an orange book in hand. Sparing him only a glance, she walked past him and to the nurses counter, smiling at the familiar faces as they started the process to discharge her. 

"I'm so glad you're doing better, Sakura‐san," one of the nurses, Ayaka, told her while handing her a clear bag containing everything she had been wearing when she had arrived at the hospital. Ayaka was a tiny slip of a woman, who wore her hair atop her head in an intricate braid. She was also filled with the fire of a hundred suns, and had no issue about dealing with unruly patients three times her size. Sakura smiled at her and thanked her, wishing her luck with the rest of her shift. 

Kakashi stood behind her during the entire exchange, hands in his pockets. Ayaka noticed him and her smile changed quickly into a frown. 

"Hatake-san. Hope you aren't running away from treatment again," Ayaka said as chillingly as she could while still remaining professional. Sakura assumed he smiled, his eyes creasing and his mask lifting slightly. 

"Ah, no not this time. I'm here with Sakura." 

Ayaka's eyebrows rose slightly, and Sakura decided to say a quick goodbye to everyone behind the desk, hoping to dodge the smaller woman's questioning. She turned, walking past Kakashi a second time, and made her way out the double doors at the end of the hall, then out another set of doors that led to the outside. 

The entire time, Kakashi walked a couple paces behind her, silently watching everything around them. His nonchalance irritated her. Didn't he have anything to say to her after being gone all those years? 

_ Maybe he had his own reasons,  _ her subconscious logically noted. Sakura sighed, the ache in her heart that still hadn't healed flared slightly. Sakura hadn't forgiven him, and she most likely never would if he kept up this charade of maladroitly ignoring the undercurrent of hostility that was basically rolling off of Sakura in waves. But, Sakura needed to get to the bottom of the attacks, and she couldn't accomplish that by ignoring the person who was supposed to be teaching her. She needed to be professional, and she needed to get in control of her instincts. 

Sakura slowed, falling into step with the man trailing behind her. 

"Hatake-san," she said, not feeling entirely comfortable with calling him  _ sensei  _ anymore, and also not entirely comfortable with referring to him at all. His eyes cut to hers, but he didn't make any noise, waiting to see what she was going to say. And she wasn't entirely sure what she  _ was _ going to say. So many emotions were rushing through her body, following her veins and arteries as her heart pumped, each  _ ba-thump _ bringing a new feeling to the surface.

_ Ba-thump.  _ Anger. 

_ Ba-thump.  _ Sadness. 

_ Ba-thump, ba-thump.  _ Confusion. 

"My apartment is this way," Sakura said, instead of any of the myriads of questions she had always sought to ask him if she had ever seen him again. He looked to her pointing hand as they walked along the sidewalk, and hummed in acknowledgement. 

They arrived at her apartment complex in relative silence. Sakura was surprised when she saw a couple bags sitting outside of her door, and Kakashi leaned around her to grab them, and his eyes creased slightly. 

"I had someone deliver a few things I would need this week," was all he said. The smell of Konoha's forest drifted to her nose as he had grabbed his bags, and Sakura quickly went about unlocking her door. They finally stepped into her apartment, and Sakura threw her keys with precision into a bowl she kept on a long table beside the door. She took her shoes off and walked further inside, Kakashi following suit. 

"The bathroom is the door on the left. My room is the door at the very end on the right," she paused in identifying the few rooms in the apartment. "And the guest bedroom is the first door that's directly beside mine, which is where you can stay. I'm going to take a shower before we start." Sakura bruskly went into her room to grab an outfit that didn't have the smell of hospital on them, placing the clear bag on the nightstand beside her bed. She went to the bathroom, locking the door behind her and turned on the faucet, waiting for the water to warm up before turning the shower spray on. 

The water was soothing on her skin. Showers were oftentimes few and far in between on missions, so Sakura had always liked to luxuriate in longer showers and baths when she was home. She could hear Kakashi puttering about outside, and tuned the noise out, concentrating on shaving the stubble on her legs. 

Sakura finished her shower thirty minutes later, opening the door and letting steam and the sweet smell of her shampoo drift out. Kakashi was sitting on one of the chairs at the small island in her kitchen. Takeout boxes were placed on the counter beside her stove, and Sakura realized how hungry she was. 

"I got your favorite, plus a few extras. The Change always makes us need a few more calories than normal." 

"How do you know what my favorite is?" Sakura questioned, grabbing two plates from the cabinet beside her sink. 

"You had a pile of receipts on your counter from this place with only one order on them." 

Kakashi smiled, and Sakura felt a prick of her earlier annoyance spike through her chest, but breathed through the emotion. It was her favorite food, after all, and she doubted there was anything edible left in her fridge. After she had placed enough food on both plates, she walked around the island and sat on the chair beside him, pushing the other plate in front of him. He was staring at her, his expression one that she wasn't familiar with on him. 

"Thank you," he said, deep voice reverberating in his chest. Sakura turned slightly, knowing it would be easier for him to eat if she wasn't looking at him. They ate in silence for a couple minutes, and Sakura ignored the awkwardness as well as she could. Kakashi seemed to not be able to handle the silence between them, as he cleared his throat roughly. Sakura looked over at him—his mask was firmly in place again and the food was gone from his plate. 

"Sakura," he began slowly, thinking his words through. "I can feel your. . . uneasiness towards me. I know this isn't something you wanted, but I'm going to try my best to help you get through this." 

Sakura chewed the last of her food slowly, her eyes staring directly into his lone eye. 

"I'm angry," she simply said. He started to nod his head, but she stopped him. 

"I'm sad, too. And I'm so confused about so many things. Everything feels like too much and I feel like I'm about to go crazy." 

And suddenly, she couldn't tell if she was talking about her new ability to grow fangs and all that came with it, or if she was talking about his abandonment. He seemed to be able to see the double meaning within her words, a soft emotion filling his eye. 

"I know. I'm so sorry for what has happened, and I want to make it up to you. If you'd let me." 

His voice was soft, and it almost melted the anger in Sakura's heart.

"You abandoned us."

"Yes." 

It was an instant reply; with no denial in his tone. Sakura had wished he hadn't left the broken pieces of his team behind, wished he had returned sooner. 

Wished she could forgive him. 

She turned her attention away from his face, not wanting to look at him any longer, in fear of what she would feel if she continued to stare into his repentant gaze. 

"I think it's time to get some answers to some questions I've been wanting to ask," Sakura said, getting up and moving across the room to her living room. She sat on one side of her couch, grabbing the small throw pillow from beside her and hugging it to her stomach. Kakashi followed, gingerly sitting on the other end. 

"I want to know about the pack." 

Kakashi leaned back, getting comfortable, and put his legs underneath him. 

"It's similar to what people believe an actual wolf pack is like. The pack is made up of a group of dominant and submissive wolves who all listen to their alpha. The alpha is the most dominant wolf in their pack."

Sakura took that in, agreeing that it was similar to wolves from the wild. 

"What makes one person dominant and another submissive?" Sakura asked. Kakashi thought that question over for a second. 

"A little bit of it is personality. Some wolves fight their way through the ranks to be as close to the top as they can, while others either don't have the same urge or just aren't strong enough to advance. One can also be considered dominant if they m-marry someone with a higher rank than them, because they can draw power from their partner." Sakura ignored the way he stuttered over the word 'marry,' but her attention was drawn to one word in particular. 

"What kind of power are you talking about?" Sakura had leaned forward slightly, while he was halfway through his explanation. It was getting easier to talk to him as they sat here.

"In this case, the power of control. Although, each partner can have a certain special power that they share with each other through their bonds. Some people can know where their partner is at all times, some can share thoughts, others can feel emotions. It's different for everyone." 

Sakura felt like that type of experience would be an extreme invasion of personal space. Kakashi seemed to know what she was thinking. 

"Yeah, sometimes people have used it in the wrong way before. But, to go back to the power of dominant wolves—the more dominant a wolf is, the more likely it is that they can order other wolves around. It usually helps with keeping other people's wolf side in control, but people have been known to take advantage of that power." 

Sakura hated the way that sounded. The ability to control another person was one thing that she believed others shouldn't have. 

"Are you dominant?" She asked him. Sakura didn't want to imagine Kakashi taking advantage of others just by being menacing, and she couldn't imagine Kakashi debasing himself by constantly fighting others over some position. He glanced away and rubbed a finger along the back of his ear.

"Uh, yes. I'm the second in the pack, right after Tsunade. As you gain more experience of being around other wolves, you'll be able to get a feel of where they are in the pack just by instinct and their mannerisms." 

The sun was bright in her living room window, casting an orange glow across the room. Kakashi had leaned his head against his hand that was propped up on the couch arm. She could see dust settling in the light across the air by her bookshelves. 

"Can you tell if I'm dominant or submissive?" Sakura asked. Kakashi nodded, his eyes showing that he was smiling again. 

"I had thought you'd want to know. I think with your personality that you'd be pretty high in the pack. This is also a good time to test your control over your wolf, who might want to fight for control with me. I'm going to give a command, and after I do I want you to tell me how it felt." 

Sakura nodded her head, excited for the chance to figure her wolf half out. Kakashi lifted his head from his hand, crooking his index finger towards her.

"Come here," he commanded, his voice thick with intent as he stared straight at her. Sakura leaned forward slightly, feeling pressure pushing against her back, trying to force her in his direction. Sakura concentrated, feeling the pressure conform to the outline of her body and then. . . pass right through her. 

Kakashi frowned, a crease appearing on his forehead, skin exposed after he had taken his headband off. 

"Sakura, stand up." 

Sakura could feel the command, but she didn't let it take over her body, instead feeling it wash over her and flow away, as if it were a tide returning out to the sea. 

"I don't feel like it," Sakura laughed, a smile on her face. Kakashi's expressions had quickly changed from confusion to wonder, and Sakura couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride at causing him to be surprised. 

"You're an omega," Kakashi said in wonderment. Sakura balked at his words. 

"Isn't that the lowest wolf in a wolf pack?" She asked, thinking back to the book of animal facts she had read as a child. Leave it to Sakura to be the worst in everything. 

"Maybe with real wolves, but in our world they're a treasure to have in the pack. Submissives are rare, but omegas are even more rare. Omegas are neither dominant nor submissive. While dominant wolves protect the pack, submissives are the backbone of the pack and can help keep fighting down by not feeling the need to fight for power. Omegas are the balance between the two. They have all the qualities of an alpha, but they don't feel the need to use violence to achieve their goals. This quality leads to orders not working on them, even from an alpha." Kakashi finished his explanation. 

Sakura took his words in, a small frown on her face. All of her problems stemmed from following her heart, and not following orders. If she had just stuck to evacuating all of those civilians, she might have been able to help both Matsuyama and Nishikawa. 

The sun was no longer visible from her window, and Sakura began to feel extremely tired. Kakashi noticed where she was looking, and stood, taking her by surprise. 

"I know it's a lot to take in at once, so we should get some rest. Tomorrow, I'm going to teach you how to Change." Kakashi gave a slight bow as he made his way to the guest bedroom. Sakura decided to follow his lead, and started the process of getting ready for bed. 

As she laid in bed, her dreams once again drifted to the brown tail disappearing behind a grove of trees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another dialogue- and information-heavy chapter lol. I'm not too happy with this chapter, but I wanted to push through and finish it because i have a habit of dropping things after starting them. 
> 
> I want to thank everyone who has commented again, and ask that you guys tell me your thoughts about everything—what you think of characterizations so far, what you want to happen with the plot, issues you have, everything lol stuff like that truly helps me want to continue writing, and also helps me become a better writer.


	4. Chapter 4

Sakura left her room the next morning to find her apartment empty of the person who was supposed to be watching her. Instead, she found a paper bag and a note placed on her counter. Sakura picked the note up, squinting at the familiar scrawl. 

' _Meet me at training grounds 11 when you wake. We'll be using the woods beside it.'_

Sakura huffed at the scarecrow doodled on the corner of the slip of paper and opened the bag. A large blueberry muffin was placed inside, and Sakura carefully removed it from the bag, holding it up to inspect it. 

"He's definitely acting weird," Sakura spoke to her empty apartment. 

_This could be his way of asking for your forgiveness,_ her voice echoed in her head. Sakura thought that hypothesis through, but couldn't make sense of the man's actions towards her. He hadn't seen her in four years, and before that they were barely on speaking terms. The most they had acknowledged each other was when they would nod to each other if they passed on the street. The man's recent habit of gifting her food was nice, but not enough for Sakura to forgive him. For that, they would need a longer conversation than the one they had the day before, and Sakura definitely wasn't ready to face those emotions. 

Finishing the muffin, Sakura quickly showered and dressed, before she grabbed her keys from the bowl on her table and locked her front door. Despite not giving a time for them to meet, Sakura knew that she would be waiting on the jonin, and decided to take the scenic route. 

The path she took led her through the civilian district, the streets lined with small produce stands, flower stands, and jewelry stands. Sakura admired everything as she strolled, pausing to check out the fruit that the standowner was gesturing to. She could smell the oranges without getting close, the scent of citrus wafting up to her sensitive nose. She bought two oranges and two apples, thinking that she could start paying Kakashi back for the earlier food. Her heart may still be sore from his actions, but she wanted to at least be civil, knowing that once the week was over and they could solve the mystery of the werewolf attacks that he would finally be out of her hair. 

Sakura paid for her fruit and thanked the old woman who placed them in a bag for her. Turning, she decided it was time to meet Kakashi at the training grounds. 

"Excuse me!" A voice called out to Sakura. She turned her attention to the flower stall across from her. A young man was smiling towards her, gesturing her over. The man was framed by roses of every color and sunflowers, their normally-tall stalks trimmed to be short, while potted shrubs sat on each end of the stall. Sakura paused, before walking over to him. His brown hair was cropped short and styled, and his eyes reminded her of Naruto's—the blue was darker though, with specks of green around his pupil. 

"You look like you're going to meet someone. Think they'd like a gift of one of my flowers?" His smile was infectious, and Sakura couldn't help a smile of her own forming on her face. 

"I don't think they would, they're not the type to enjoy stopping to smell the roses," Sakura replied. The man put a hand to his heart, a look of faux-hurt crossing his face. 

"Aw, now that isn't a way for anyone to live. Although, I'm sure the beauty of my roses wouldn't phase the person you're meeting anywhere as near as the beauty of yourself." 

Sakura found herself laughing at the corny flirting. It had been a while since she'd had the time to meet new people or go on dates—going out on missions and her work at the hospital took up almost all of her free time, and she chose to spend the rest of her time with her friends rather than dating. 

A small white flower came into her line of sight, and the owner of the flower stand handed it to her with a charming smile. Sakura thought about refusing politely, but it had been a while since she had been given any attention of this sort, and decided to accept the flower, and put it behind her ear, before waving goodbye to the man. 

As Sakura made her way to the training grounds that Kakashi had specified in his note, she was surprised to see that he was already there, sitting underneath a tree on the edge of the woods that was part of this training grounds. He was reading one of his books, the sunlight dappling on his hair through the leaves above him. He looked up as she approached, an expression passing through the exposed part of his face, leaving Sakura to wonder what he was thinking. 

Kakashi stood once she had gotten close enough, storing his book in his back pocket and crossing his arms across his chest. 

"I never expected you to be the one to pick up the habit of being late, Sakura." 

Sakura felt herself frown. "You never specified a time to be here, Hatake-san. Besides," she gestured to the bag she was holding, "I bought us some fruit." 

Kakashi glanced at the flower in her hair, before sniffing once and rubbing his nose. 

"That was very nice, we'll probably need a snack after I finish teaching you how to get through the Change on your own," he said, walking forward and taking the bag from her to set it down by the tree he was at earlier. He gestured for her to follow behind him into the woods, and she started forward. They walked silently for a few minutes, only the sound of birds in the trees and small animals scurrying through the underbrush filling the air between them. 

Kakashi finally stopped, turning around to face her. Sakura halted with him, shifting her weight on her legs. 

"Changing is probably the most physically exhausting part of being a werewolf," he began. "I'm not going to lie, it hurts immensely and takes forever for our bodies to shape into our wolf forms," Kakashi bent down and started unwrapping the bindings on his leg and taking off various pouches, his vest, and finally his shoes.

Sakura thought that made sense, based on the differences between human and wolf physiology, that there would be pain in the transformation. She watched as he neatly set aside his clothes, leaving him in his long-sleeved shirt and pants. 

"A lot of people start the Change differently, either based on preferences or their situation, but I'll show you the easiest form to start in." Kakashi lowered himself to his knees on the ground, extending his arms in front of him and placing his hands in front of his knees. "It's best to get rid of any bindings or things that are hard to tear before starting. Most people also change with no clothes on but, uh, I don't feel like doing that right now," Kakashi scratched the side of his cheek, and Sakura could see the tips of his ears turn slightly red. 

Sakura had no problem with nudity, but understood that even in their line of work some people had boundaries, and Kakashi seemed to have a lot of those. Sakura took off her vest and placed it beside his, before settling on the ground in front of him, mimicking his position. The leaves under her hands crinkled against each other, sending the scent of the forest floor drifting up to her. 

"When a dominant wolf changes it sometimes makes others want to change as well, so hopefully you'll feel that pull. When you do, don't force yourself to Change fast, it'll hurt more if you do. Take it slow, and if anything happens I'll be here to help guide you. Tell me when you're ready and I'll get started." 

Sakura took a deep breath, the end shuddering with her nervousness. She had only seen the rogue werewolves Change, but they had done it almost instantaneously. The knowledge that the actual Change took longer and hurt made her cautious about beginning. 

_Scared about getting stuck in between human and wolf?_ Sakura frowned slightly. No, she hadn't thought about that, but now she couldn't stop imagining herself as some monstrous creature half covered in patchy fur, with gangly limbs that weren't the same size. Sakura threw that thought from her head and nodded at the man in front of her, deciding to just go through with it. 

Kakashi lowered his head slightly, and Sakura felt a wave of _something_ surround her, burrowing into her bones. She kept her eyes on him, and realized that the creaking she was hearing wasn't the trees around them, but was his bones as pressure was applied to them, changing their shapes into those of a wolf's. Sakura felt a pain in her back, and closed her eyes as she let the Change roll over her. Kakashi was right: the pain was excruciating. She was glad she was already on the ground because as soon as her arms started to contort and pop out of place, she felt herself go forward, falling flat to the ground. 

At least seven minutes passed by before the Change stopped, leaving Sakura panting for breath on her side. She opened her eyes and had to close them again to adjust to her new view. A wolf stood across from her, Kakashi's shirt hanging loosely around its chest. It shook off the last pant leg and bowed forward, rubbing the shirt on the ground to pull it over its head. Sakura slowly stood to her four— _four!—_ legs, noticing that she stood slightly taller than him. A memory swept through her mind, and Sakura recognized this wolf. This was the same wolf that she had first seen disappearing behind a tree _and_ the same wolf who had looked up at her when she was strapped into her hiding spot with Nishikawa. 

She went to reprimand him for not telling her sooner, but all that left her mouth was a sharp yip. Kakashi seemed to know what she was annoyed at, and he let his mouth fall open, his pink tongue lolling out before he fell into a position where his chest was lower than his back, his tail sweeping the air a few times. Sakura tilted her head to the side, unclear of what he was getting at.

_That's the universal sign of play,_ her subconscious informed her, and Sakura understood, thinking back to when she was a genin and was watching Kakashi's ninken play together.

Sakura slowly mimicked him, tilting her head again to ask if she had done it correctly. Kakashi stood back up and shook his mottled brown coat, before he darted towards her to nip her shoulder and jump back, starting to run through the trees. Sakura stood there, dumbfounded. Was this wolf really Kakashi? Kakashi was a pretty stoic person, and she figured that that would stay the same even after he transformed into a wolf. Sakura took a moment to shake and pull her clothes off, finding it harder to do without opposable thumbs.

She shook that thought off and started forward. Kakashi hadn't sped off too far, and had stopped to wait for her. Her legs felt a little wobbly as she walked forward, but she became more sure-footed the closer she approached him. She took a moment to stare at him. He wasn't as big as some of the wolves she had seen, his muscles more lithe and his legs less stocky. His mottled brown coat blended into the trees around them, the color getting darker as it approached his chest and legs. He had a small black crest on his chest that was barely visible. Sakura wondered what she looked like, and looked down at her paws and then back over her shoulder. She could only see light tan fur, and couldn't make out any markings. 

Kakashi suddenly got close, putting his neck close to her nose. Sakura stepped back, unsure what to make of his action. He did it again, and when Sakura didn't respond he huffed, brought his nose to her ear and started _sniffing_. It was loud, making Sakura pull back, but she got the gist of what he was asking, even though it was still slightly odd to her. She had noticed pretty early that her senses had heightened, which had been the source of her initial migraine. 

Sakura slowly leaned towards him, her nose brushing the ends of his fur as she inhaled his scent. He stood stock still for her, only his ear twitching in recognition. She inhaled again, recognizing some scents from his coat as those from the woods—pollen had drifted onto him, and she could smell where the limbs from the trees had brushed his coat, the scent of decaying leaves from where he had walked, and a scent that she just recognized as _Kakashi_ , one that she could only apply to him. She sat back on her haunches and watched as he opened his eyes, before he nipped her and darted off again. 

A part of Sakura was thrilled at everything new about herself and around her, and all she wanted to do was explore everything. She wanted to leave her stresses and just run. And so she did. 

She had lost sight of Kakashi, so she relied on her nose. She kept her head lowered as she quickly rifled through the scents around her. She caught onto a faint scent that was just Kakashi and ran along it, finding him in front of a small pond. She leapt at him, and he dodged, pushing her side with his head. He balanced on his hind legs and she went for his stomach, knocking him off balance. He rolled, quickly biting her tail and darting around to her other side. She felt her back moving and was surprised to find that her tail was wagging. Looking over to Kakashi, she could see that his was too, although not as much as hers was. 

Panting from their short bout, she walked over to the water and tried to figure out how to drink it, ending up plunging her nose and entire mouth in at one point. Kakashi moved beside her and lapped it up as easily as anything he did. He smugly glanced at her, and she tried to drink the water again, before stopping.

Her reflection was distorted by the ripples she was making, but when the water settled she had her first look at what her wolf looked like. The fur around her neck was bushy, and her muscles were clearly defined on her legs. But what amused Sakura the most were her ears. Her entire coat was light tan, but her ears looked as if they had been dipped and splashed with white paint, the tips being completely white before fading into small speckles. Kakashi snorted as she turned her ears this way and that, trying to get a better look. He patiently waited, his tail settled over his front paws, before he stood up, pushing her to follow him. 

His actions as a wolf made Sakura curious. As a human, Kakashi kept his distance, both physically and emotionally, but as a wolf he seemed more—playful? Nice? Sakura didn't know what adjective she could use to describe his actions today, but they made her wonder if everyone's wolves had their own personality, or if it was just easier to express themselves and trust their instincts more as a wolf. She had noticed that she had little _pushes_ , she supposed she could call them, in her head to do things she normally wouldn't in her human form—rough house with Kakashi, for instance. 

They reached the spot where they left their clothes, and Kakashi stopped for a moment to gather his clothes in his mouth before he disappeared behind a tree. Sakura sat beside her clothes and wondered how she was going to change back. She wished he had explained this part, she thought as she closed her eyes and tried to recall the feeling that had buried itself in her bones when she had first started the Change. 

The moment she thought about that feeling, it washed over her again. Pain crackled throughout her body as her bones and muscles rearranged themselves in preparation to transform into her human form again. 

It took longer to become human, and Sakura felt exhausted when it was over. The act of pulling her shirt on made her want to just lay down and sleep. When she had finished, she looked around to see if Kakashi was done. Noticing that he wasn't behind the tree that he had disappeared to, she decided to use her nose to find him. It was a little harder to scent him out than when she was a wolf, but she eventually caught onto his scent and followed the trail. She only had to walk a few moments before she spotted him walking in her direction, his hands in his pockets. 

"You did great with your first intentional Change," Kakashi told her. The praise made her inwardly proud. 

"What were you doing over there, Hatake-san?" Sakura questioned, trying to distract him from noticing how the compliment affected her. Kakashi smiled under his mask, and pulled his hand out of his pocket. In his hand was the flower that she had been wearing earlier. 

"You dropped this when you ran after me," Kakashi explained, before stepping forward and placing it behind her ear where it had been earlier. Sakura looked up into his face and couldn't read his expression. 

"Sakura?"

"Yeah?" Sakura replied, unsure of what to make of this side of Kakashi.

"I know you're still mad at me, but you don't have to call me Hatake-san, you can just call me Kakashi. If you want to, I mean."

Sakura thought that over as she studied him. She was still hurt, but they had been teammates. They had gone through a lot together. And she knew a bit of his past from reading files and listening to Tsunade when she was tipsy enough to reminisce about her history. She could understand what made him act the way he had, even if she hadn't quite forgiven him for it. 

"Okay. Kakashi, then." She said. He smiled at her, and started walking back out of the woods. When they reached the clearing for training grounds 11, Kakashi grabbed the bag of fruit that Sakura had bought, and handed her an orange. 

Sakura focused on peeling the fruit, her body exhausted. Her legs felt like they had been filled with lead. The mid-afternoon sun weighed on their shoulders, heating the top of Sakura's head. She glanced over to see Kakashi apply a low-level henge to his face. He pulled his mask down, only to reveal another mask. Sakura rolled her eyes at the sight of Kakashi pushing an orange through the fake mask.

"You could've chosen an actual face to use. It looks weird watching that orange disappear into your mask." Sakura finished peeling her orange and placed a slice in her mouth, licking her thumb to catch the juice running down it. Kakashi glanced down at her before he smiled. 

"Don't watch then," he replied jokingly. Sakura snorted, before a small restaurant caught her eye. Kakashi was right when he said that she'd be hungry when they were done—she was starving. And she definitely didn't feel like cooking when they got home. Sakura grabbed the bag Kakashi was holding and placed her orange peel inside it. 

"Hey, do you want to grab some food before we go home?" Sakura gestured to the restaurant and Kakashi hummed, turning in the direction she indicated. They walked through the door, and were greeted by a smiling man who asked for their order. Kakashi ordered some kind of soup before looking back for what Sakura wanted. She asked for one of their noodle dishes with extra vegetables, and the man behind the counter smiled before saying their total. Sakura started to reach for her wallet, but Kakashi beat her to it, hanging the man cash. 

"I could've paid," she protested as they stood to the side to wait for their food. Kakashi shrugged, his eye trained on the door they came through. 

"I don't mind. I've left you with the bill plenty of times," he said, placing his hands in his pockets. Their order arrived, and they were soon back to their walk to her apartment. 

When Sakura's apartment building came into view, Kakashi turned to her and handed her the bag of fruit that he was still carrying. 

"I have to report to Tsunade. I'll be back soon enough, so you can just leave my food on the counter. See you, Sakura," Kakashi gave a small wave and disappeared in a poof of smoke. 

Sakura huffed, carried the bags to her apartment, and unlocked the door. She placed Kakashi's soup on the counter before opening her container and digging in. Once she finished eating she grabbed a towel and some clean clothes from the dryer and took a shower, washing the sweat from the day away. She rubbed her shoulders, sending chakra through her fingers to relax the tense muscles. 

After getting dressed she went to her room, making a beeline for her bed. She drifted to sleep as soon as she pulled her comforter over her, dreaming about what she had done that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its been a long time!! Wrote this chapter super quickly because I felt like I needed to just get it out there lol. Slowly but surely getting closer to actual plot and relationships. Tell me what you think!!
> 
> Edited to add: your comments definitely kicked me into gear, I'm already writing the next chapter lol. What i want to know, even though I haven't yet gotten into the thick of the plot and have only introduced the existence of the werewolf world, is what you guys think of it so far? How's the dialogue and descriptions (the things that are the hardest for me lol), what did you think of the Change and the look of sakura and kakashis wolves? Anything that you're hoping to see? Anything you need clarified? I appreciate every comment I get, they help me so much in getting this fic going in the direction I want it to go


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's squeamish about animal death, skip the paragraph that begins with " A rabbit sat in their sight " and skip the paragraph after too.

Sakura was nervous. Her stomach was uneasy, her hands were clenched behind her back, and she could feel sweat begin to form at the nape of her neck.

In front of her sat Tsunade, her weary-eyed mentor, who was tapping her nails on the surface of the desk between them. Sakura shifted her weight from one foot to the other, silently telling herself to get a grip on her emotions. 

Tap. Tap tap. Tap tap.

The rest of the week of Sakura's trial run of being a werewolf had sped by. After her and Kakashi's little jaunt in the forest where she had Changed for the first time, the man had made himself scarce around her, only checking in on her at the end of the day. He hadn't mentioned where he was going or why he had decided to seemingly return to his aloof self, but Sakura was beginning to feel her starting-to-heal heart form little cracks again. 

The morning after he had paid for their meal and disappeared off to see the Hokage, Sakura had awoken with a million questions racing through her mind about her new life. She had gotten ready that morning before stepping into her empty kitchen, the man who had been living with her for the past couple of days nowhere to be seen or sensed. A blueberry muffin sat on her counter, but no note accompanied it. 

And that trend continued throughout the week. 

Sakura would wake up, go to her kitchen, and find no one—the only clue that another person stayed there would be sitting on her counter, the overflowing sweet outwardly taunting her for ever believing that she could once again become close to a person that she cherished. 

She had focused her remaining time on exploring her new senses. Deciding not to mope around, she left her apartment each day and took a stroll around the village, memorizing the scents and sounds that surrounded her. Sometimes, she would catch a familiar scent around the memorial stone or the Hokage's office. During those moments, she would turn back around and find a new path to take. 

And when Sakura would hear Kakashi return to her apartment at night, she would roll back over and go to sleep. 

If he was going to avoid whatever issue that was bothering him, then she was as well. It may have been an immature thing to do, but Sakura's entire world had changed, and she didn't want another issue to pile on top of her plate. 

The room became silent, bringing Sakura back to the present. Tsunade's eyes stayed glued to the silhouette of the man beside Sakura. Her nervousness reappeared as the silence stretched on. 

"I need to know how Sakura has fared this week. Was she able to stay in control of her wolf?" The question was directed at Kakashi, who stood to his full height as he addressed their Hokage.

"Sakura is an omega, which I believe is one thing that has helped her stay in control of her wolf. There was no issue with her Changing from either wolf or human, and no obvious altered personality. In my opinion, she is ready to join our pack." 

Tension left the room as Tsunade briefly closed her eyes, relief evident in her posture. She turned towards Sakura. 

"I'm overjoyed that there were no issues. An omega is valuable in a pack, and I would be glad for you to be a part of the Konoha pack. Did Kakashi answer all of your questions?" Sakura wanted to say no, but thought better of it.

"He answered all of the pertinent ones," Sakura replied. Tsunade inclined her head in a way that said she knew what Sakura was getting at, a small smile forming on her mouth. 

"In that case, I'll hold the integration ceremony tonight. It's a full moon, and most of the wolves are in the village. Kakashi will escort you to where you need to be. Go home and get some food, it won't be too long before it starts," Tsunade dismissed them with that sentence, watching as the two of them bowed and exited her office. 

Similar to her discharge from the hospital where Kakashi walked her home, Sakura walked in front of him, taking long strides. Kakashi kept up, a book in his hand, but Sakura could see him glance at her every little bit. 

When they arrived at her apartment, Sakura unlocked the door and took her shoes off. Kakashi followed suit, albeit in a manner more cautious than how Sakura had kicked her shoe off and left it leaning against the wall by the door. 

She was never very stealthy with her emotions, and she was going to get answers.

Sakura stood in her kitchen, across from Kakashi. He walked up to her, until he was a couple steps away. 

"Why are you avoiding me again?" Sakura asked. Kakashi placed his book on the island beside them. He cleared his throat, but remained silent. 

_Don't let him avoid the issue,_ Sakura's voice echoed inside her head. She didn't want to back down any longer—she had finally had him within her grasp again. 

"I had thought," Sakura began slowly, trying to ease the pain out of her voice, "that we were starting to become friends again. Kakashi, why were you absent the past few days?" 

The man before her seemed to freeze, his fingers halting over their position of fidgeting with his book. 

"I haven't been avoiding you, per se."

Sakura snorted at that answer, but stayed silent enough for him to continue. 

"I discovered . . . an issue that I wasn't quite sure how to deal with. I've been speaking to Tsunade about it. But, I promise I haven't been avoiding you." Kakashi looked at her, and she could see that he was telling the truth. Sakura deflated slightly, unsure of how to process the fact that Kakashi not only had something bothering him, but had also admitted it. In all of the time that Sakura had known him, he had never once willingly told her when something was wrong with him, including the time he had broken his ankle from a fall and walked the rest of the way to the nearest town without telling her.

"Kakashi, I really want us to be friends again. The time you took away from our team was some of the worst pain we ever experienced, and I don't want that to happen again," Sakura explained. Kakashi was giving her his full attention, and showing her a vulnerability that she had never seen before. 

"You don't have to worry about me leaving again, Sakura. I'm doing everything I can to right the wrong I did against you. I'm sorry for leaving you and Naruto alone after. . ."

Sakura uncrossed her arms, looking away from the man in front of her. Her eyes stared at the book he had placed on the counter, the corner of the novel lined up perfectly with the edge of the island. There were too many emotions running through Sakura's head, and no way for her to identify any of them. The only thing she could make sense of that was running through her mind was . . .

"That's not porn," Sakura remarked, staring at the blue novel. 

"No," Kakashi huffed out a laugh, "it's not." The tension disappeared from between them with her observation. Sakura looked at the book closely, and her eyes opened wider in surprised recognition. 

"That's one of my books. When did you take that?" Sakura asked. Kakashi hummed and rubbed the back of his neck, a habit she realized meant he was thinking about something. 

"A couple days ago, I think. I'm almost finished with it, although I don't like that Eiko is starting to settle for Jurou." 

Sakura's jaw dropped open. Not only did Kakashi read books that weren't part of his precious Icha Icha series, he also formed _extremely wrong_ opinions on them. 

"She's not _settling_ for Jurou," Sakura stressed. "He has proven time and time again that he is faithful to her, and would do anything to make her happy. There was literally that whole arc in the beginning where he courted her slowly because she had told him that she was afraid of losing another person that she loved. Jurou is _the_ _best_ love interest in that book." 

Kakashi had started shaking his head halfway through her speech, his arms crossing over his chest. 

"Sorry, Sakura, but you're wrong. Eiko has so much passion about achieving her dream to find her father, but Jurou has done nothing except impede her progress. She'd be better off with the stable boy who always seems to be there with her horse whenever she needs to take off at a moment's notice. Jurou just doesn't see who she is as a person, only who he wishes she was." 

Sakura sat down on the stool that was beside her kitchen island, and propped the side of her head up with her hand. A smile formed on her face as she looked up at the other jonin. 

"How about this—you finish the book, and when you do, you can come over and tell me how sorry you are for being wrong, and that Jurou is Eiko's soul mate," Sakura said. A gleam entered Kakashi's eye, and she could see the top and sides of his mask pull up from a grin hidden beneath it. 

"Or," Kakashi took a step forward, his eye creased in an acquisitive manner, "I can finish the book, tell you how right I was, and then you can give me the sequel to it." Sakura laughed at his boldness. If the ending of the first book didn't change his mind, the second one definitely would. 

"Deal. Did we just make a book club?" Sakura asked, her face starting to cramp from her large smile. 

"We definitely did. I'm gonna make some ramen before we leave, do you want any?" Kakashi asked, before moving past her to reach the pantry. Sakura's mind drifted back to the hunger she felt after her last Change. 

"Yeah, ramen would be good." 

There was a comfortable silence as Kakashi began fixing their meal. Nervousness returned to Sakura as she thought about what would happen at the ceremony. 

"There's no need to be nervous," Kakashi said, his back to her as he dropped the dried noodles into the boiling water. Sakura was surprised at his attentiveness. 

"How did you know I was nervous? I thought I was doing a pretty good job of hiding it." Sakura watched as he turned around, wiping his hands on a towel before leaning back against the sink. 

"You're still adjusting to your new senses, but you'll eventually be able to parse through smells and gather information from them. People often give off certain scents or pheromones when they feel strong emotions—anger, fear, nervousness. People who aren't in control of their wolves can often lose themselves if they let other people's emotions phase them," Kakashi explained. Sakura thought that through. She supposed that the wolf part listens to instinct more than logic, and it made sense that if a wolf sensed malice towards them that they would try to take over. 

The timer went off and Kakashi went about mixing in the seasoning. 

"You've mentioned people losing control of their wolves before. Does it happen often?" Sakura watched Kakashi's shoulders as they shifted with his movements. 

"It happens more often with newly-turned wolves. Some people just don't have the personality to make it through the Change," he answered her, reaching into the cabinet above him for two bowls. 

"What happens to those people?" Sakura asked. Kakashi continued to serve their food into the two dishes. 

"They're killed. No one has ever lost total control and gained it back."

He placed her bowl in front of her, but stayed with his back to her as he ate from his. Sakura shuddered, and was glad that she had stayed in control of her wolf. 

Thinking of a topic to lighten the mood, Sakura finished her ramen and sat her empty dish in the sink. Kakashi had already finished his food, and had pulled his headband off to rub at his closed eye. Sakura caught his attention and pointed at his eye, waiting until he nodded before she approached him, hand outstretched and filled with chakra to sooth the inflamed network behind his sharingan.

"What's going to happen at the ceremony? Will I have to drink Tsunade's blood and swear fealty to the pack?" Sakura joked. Kakashi smiled as she pulled her palm back, carefully retracing her chakra out of his eye. He replaced his headband and glanced at the clock on her stove. _9:45._ The sun had gone down, and stars were starting to shine in the sky. 

"We're not vampires, so you won't have to drink her blood. There's nothing to worry about," Kakashi said. He started for the door, bending over to slip his shoes on. Sakura followed him, jolted by his mention of vampires but deciding that that was a question for another day. 

Kakashi guided her through Konoha's lit streets and past the gate that led to the forest beyond their village. The lights of the village dimmed behind them, leaving the light of the full moon and stars to guide their way. Kakashi kept a quick pace, leading her in a direction that she had never gone before.

The noise of people talking steadily became louder, and soon they broke through a copse of trees into an open area. A pond laid to their left, the water rippling in tiny waves from lazily-swimming fish. At least twenty people were standing around, talking and laughing. A few fires were strewn about, casting light in the area around them. Sakura spotted a few people she recognized—Tsunade and Shizune were talking to Ibiki, the scarred man drinking from a flask before he responded to what the women had asked him. 

Tsunade noticed their entrance, and sent a wave towards Sakura before gesturing Kakashi over to them. 

"I'll be right back, you can introduce yourself to the rest of the pack," Kakashi told her before moving in the direction of the blonde woman. 

Sakura observed the people around her more closely, realizing that not everyone here was a shinobi—she recognized a few civilian people that worked in the Hokage's office. The shinobi present all seemed to be older than her; she didn't see anyone from the Rookie 9. 

"We meet again," a voice said from behind her. Sakura turned around, facing the young man who owned a flower stand in the civilian district. His short brown hair was messy, his blue eyes appearing darker from the light of a nearby fire. 

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed when she recognized him. "You're the man from the flower stand!" 

The man grinned at her. "Noboru. You're the girl who didn't want to buy my flowers," Noboru said. Sakura scoffed at him. 

"Only because my friend wouldn't have appreciated them. I didn't realize you were . . . " Sakura trailed off. Noboru understood what she was saying, deciding to finish her sentence for her. 

"A werewolf? Yeah, it's harder to tell in the beginning. There's a similar scent that we all have though." 

"Really?" Sakura asked, interested in understanding more about how to recognize another werewolf. Noboru nodded, lifting his wrist and pointing at it with his other hand. 

"Wolves have a bit of a minty smell, which is quite pleasant. Much better than smelling like a wet dog, I think," he said. 

Sakura brought her own wrist up to her nose and sniffed. She couldn't quite make anything out other than the mild soap she had used earlier. Noboru leaned towards her, extending his own wrist to her. Sakura hesitated, before taking a careful inhale. She could smell the flowers he worked with immediately, the oils from crushed roses hitting her senses first. Underneath that, though, she could smell the minty fragrance he had referred to. She felt like she had smelled this on Kakashi when they had been in the forest together.

"That's really interesting," she acknowledged. "Thanks for telling me that," Sakura smiled at him. Noboru started to grin back at her, but his expression froze, gaze locked over her shoulder. He pulled his wrist back and nodded to the person Sakura could hear coming up behind her. 

"Hatake-san," Noboru said, bowing low. "I didn't realize—" 

"It's no problem," Kakashi interrupted. Sakura curiously looked up at Kakashi, the light from the fire dancing across his masked features, making his expression harder to read than what it normally was. "I've just come to fetch Sakura. Tsunade is about to start the ceremony," Kakashi said, turning to Sakura at the end of his sentence. Sakura politely waved to Noboru, before walking beside Kakashi to the awaiting woman. 

As they approached, Ibiki and Shizune moved to the side, and Tsunade stepped towards her. Before Sakura could greet her mentor, Tsunade called out to the group around them. 

"Wolves of the Konoha pack, we are here tonight to bring a new wolf into our bonds," Tsunade announced. Sakura stood tall, suddenly nervous again when she could feel everyone's curious eyes on her. Tsunade pulled out two kunai from a hidden holster, handing one to Sakura. Sakura curiously took the proffered kunai, waiting for Tsunade to give her a clue about what to do with it. 

"Haruno Sakura, do you wish to join my pack?" Tsunade questioned her, face stolid in the moonlight. Sakura felt something click in the back of her throat as she tried to find her voice. 

"Yes," she answered, looking straight into Tsunade's eyes. Tsunade looked over to the wolves silently watching them. 

"Do you accept her into the pack?" Tsunade asked her pack. Their reply was instant, twenty voices answering in agreement. Sakura could hear Kakashi behind her, his _yes_ echoing in her ear. 

The blonde woman before her gestured with the kunai, bringing the tip to her finger. Sakura mimicked the motion, the sharp point piercing the flesh of her index. A drop of blood fell from Tsunade's finger to the ground below, and she gestured for Sakura to do the same. As soon as the blood fell from her fingertip and met the drop from her mentor, a wave of emotions went through her, and her senses flared. Sakura inhaled quickly, taking a step back from the sensation. It was like she could feel everyone around her—their positions, their emotions, their thoughts. For just a moment, Sakura could feel the newly-formed bond between her and her pack. 

And just as soon as she had felt it, the sensation disappeared, leaving just a small connection in the back of her mind.

As Sakura's hearing came back, she could hear the end of a cheer, and Tsunade slapped a hand on her shoulder, a large grin on her face. 

"Welcome to the pack, Sakura. Everyone's going to start Changing soon, if you want to join in. There's a running pot for the first person to bring something back here that they've hunted." 

Sakura stared at the Hokage before her—her alpha. It was weird to think of her in that manner. Although, she supposed, an alpha seemed to just be the Hokage of a pack in the werewolf world. Tsunade stepped over to where Shizune and Ibiki stood. She had pulled a bottle of sake from somewhere, and was sharing it with the other two. Sakura turned back to look at the people behind her and—

_Oh, okay._

"Has anyone ever stumbled upon you guys and thought you were just having a nudist party?" Sakura blithely asked Kakashi. He turned towards her and laughed. Sakura watched as people started their own Change—some walking off for privacy, while many just started stripping where they were, throwing their clothes to the side to keep out of the way. 

"Not yet, surprisingly. You'd think a village full of highly-skilled ninja would have already discovered the rave of naked werewolves that happens every month," he answered. "Do you want to join in on the hunt? I know the best place to find rabbits around here." 

Sakura looked up at the taller jonin, and noticed he was scratching the back of his neck. She wondered what he was thinking about. 

And that thought made her pause.

Because two weeks ago, Sakura would have rather gone on a mission to Suna wearing every item of clothing she owned than have to speak to him for even a second. And now, here she was, able to speak to him without wanting to cry and wondering about what was on his mind. 

Coming back from her thoughts, Sakura nodded her head, keeping her eyes from drifting to the half-formed wolves who were quietly grunting in pain. 

"Yeah, I'd love that," Sakura said, following after the copy-nin. He led her around the small pond, and soon they were walking up a small incline. Sakura could hear the sound of gently-bubbling water, and soon saw a stream in front of them.

"I'm surprised Tsunade-sama isn't going after the money pot," Sakura said, breaking the silence between them. Kakashi shrugged, one shoulder rising higher than the other. 

"She participates sometimes. Running around with the pack can be a good stress relief. I think she just wanted to share a drink with Ibiki and Shizune tonight, though."

They traveled for a few minutes longer, and Sakura could hear the first yips and howls of wolves that had finished changing. Kakashi stopped, bringing them to a small clearing beside the stream. 

"We can Change here, the rabbit den isn't too far off," he said. He waved with a promise to be quick and disappeared behind some trees. Sakura started undressing, the air chilly against her skin. She had learned her lesson from her last Change, and definitely didn't want to waste any time by trying to shake her bra off. 

The Change wasn't any different from last time—it still hurt like hell and took forever to finish. By the time Sakura had had enough, it was over. She took a moment to readjust to the different perspective she had as a wolf, before she padded off in the direction Kakashi had gone. She heard leaves crunch on the ground before Kakashi appeared a second later, his coat appearing darker in the night. 

Sakura felt her tail wag as he approached. He walked close beside her, the fur along his side just barely brushing over her own. The chilly air that had left her skin in goosebumps could no longer phase her through her thick coat. Kakashi pointed with his nose in the direction for her to follow, and they were soon back among the trees. 

There were more howls and sounds of wolves playing in the distance, and Sakura could see birds leaving from their direction. Kakashi sneezed in annoyance, slightly changing the course in which they walked. Kakashi's tail grazed her nose, making her stop to look at him. He had turned towards her, and got in a crouch, lightly moving his paws across the ground towards her; noiseless.

_You're making too much noise, you'll scare off all the prey,_ her subconscious told her. Sakura carefully mimicked the brown wolf's movements, her paws making less noise, but still nowhere near the level of silence that Kakashi had moved with. Her advance had put her directly in front of Kakashi, who was still in a crouch. He leaned forward and snapped his jaws teasingly, and Sakura instinctively batted a paw at him. She missed, and Kakashi snorted, his face twisted in a canine grin. Sakura shook her fur in exasperation, walking in front of him with her nose to the ground. 

She knew what squirrels smelled like, having come upon a family of them during her last Change, and was excited to try her hand—or paw, more likely—at hunting down a rabbit. Kakashi loped beside her, his ears swiveling to pick up any noise around them. He suddenly stopped, bringing Sakura to a halt as well. 

A rabbit sat in their sight, digging through a patch of clover. It's ears were standing straight up, and it's nose twitched as it sorted through the weeds. Sakura instinctively dropped low to the ground, moving her paws over the ground in an imitation of how Kakashi had shown her. As she got closer, the rabbit shot straight up. Sakura could hear it's tiny heartbeat, fast in the rabbit's chest. She made a quick decision to launch at it, but the rabbit was faster and took off through the trees. Sakura shot off after it, no longer worried about being stealthy. She dodged trees and jumped over bushes that the rabbit rushed through, her heart beating with excitement in her chest. The rabbit suddenly darted to the left, running in a half circle behind her, and suddenly Kakashi was there, snapping up the rabbit before she could even slide to a stop. 

The rabbit hung, lifeless, in the brown wolf's jaws. He dropped it in front of her, pawing it in her direction. Sakura padded to it, before bending her head to inhale its scent. She could smell the blood coming from the punctures along its neck, the thick iron smell coating her senses and making her mouth water. She picked the rabbit up, and started making the journey back to their clothes. 

By the time she had Changed and gotten dressed, her excitement from the hunt was ready to bubble out of her. She grabbed the rabbit and just as she was about to go find Kakashi, he walked into the clearing. 

"That was amazing! It's been so long since I've had that type of adrenaline rush," Sakura exclaimed, gesturing wildly. Kakashi chuckled, coming forward to gently take the rabbit from her, his fingers brushing hers as he pulled away. 

"You're saying you didn't get a rush of adrenaline when we made a book club? You've changed, Sakura," he joked, and she sent him a quick scowl. 

"Do you want to head back? I don't think we'll be the first ones to get there, so we can just walk," Kakashi said. Sakura nodded, falling into step with him as they slowly began the journey back. 

"Hey, Kakashi?" Sakura asked, a thought suddenly coming to her. He glanced her way, turning his head to see with his eye. She spoke before he answered. 

"I never thanked you for saving me . . . Thank you, Kakashi." The light from the moon made his silver hair glow. She could see his eye crease in a smile. 

"You don't have to thank me for doing something that I'd always do. I'm just glad my mission had sent me close to you," he said, his voice soft. The breeze blew towards Sakura, sending the scent of Kakashi towards her—mint, the same mild soap that she used, and something she couldn't place or understand. 

They soon arrived in the clearing near the pond, humans and wolves lounging around, sharing food that they had caught—some cooked, and some ate it raw. Tsunade was nowhere in sight, but Shizune caught their attention and beckoned them over. 

"Tsunade-sama needs to see the two of you, she's in her office right now," Shizune hurriedly said, her tone hushed. Sakura and Kakashi shared a look, taking off a moment later. 

The blonde sat in her office, a frown marring her features. 

"What's the issue, Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura asked, wasting no time. The hokage threw a scroll at her. Sakura unraveled it, and Kakashi read over her shoulder. 

"Those wolves are starting to attack small towns again. Civilians and shinobi alike are disappearing again. We got information about where they may have made their hideout—meaning Matsuyama might be there," Tsunade said. Sakura heard the implied _if he's still alive_ , but stood tall in front of her mentor.

"When do we leave?" Kakashi asked. Tsunade tapped a finger on her desk. 

"In the morning. You're to travel to the town that has last reported missing citizens and gather information. Send for backup _before_ anything gets dangerous. Go rest and pack," Tsunade dismissed them. 

Sakura didn't sleep well that night, her dreams filled with the attack that had changed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter to apologize for how long it took me to get back here lol. 
> 
> Getting closer to the actual plot! And closer to romance between these characters. 
> 
> Leave a comment about what you think so far/think is going to happen, they definitely make me want to publish chapters faster!!


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